Objective: The Training Core will be primarily responsible for designing and implementing strategies to increase the number of African American health professionals engaged in health disparities research at the applicant institutions. To accomplish that objective, the following specific aims will be pursued: 1. To provide research development activities in order to increase the number of opportunities and level of activity for conducting health disparities research. 2. To provide training on issues related to developing cultural sensitivity and competence. 3. To provide effective mentored training to increase the number of minorities conducting biomedical research. 4. To identify and facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration focused on metabolic syndrome-related health disparities. Methods & Innovation: The key components of this core include: (1) a minority undergraduate training program that is integrated with of the MUSC Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), NIH funded grants that can offer minority supplements, MUSC's Short-Term Training for Minority Students (T35) in CV Research, MUSC's HBCU Summer Institute supporting 24 health science majors in a 3-year summer training program, and SCSU's NSFfunded Alliance for Minority Participation; (2) minority faculty career development in which an organized effort will identify minority faculty interested in biomedical research, facilitate pairing with an effective mentor, provide input from an oversight training committee that will track progress and generate constructive feedback to the trainee and mentor and (3) minority faculty retention, in which appropriate faculty will be identified and offered an opportunity to participate in the mentorship committee program to develop a timeline with milestones, track progress, and provide guidance and feedback. Significance: While ethnic minorities have made progress in obtaining advanced degrees the disparity between the demographics of the population and that of biomedical scientists remains very large. Simultaneously, the proportion of ethnic minorities and related health disparities, e.g., the metabolic syndrome continue, to grow. The Training Core is designed to increase the number of minority biomedical scientists, which will assist in reducing disparities in minority health.